This invention relates to techniques for the transmitting serial data over a transmission medium. It also relates to methods for transmitting multiple bit streams on a single transmission medium. It further relates to Fibre Channel communications and communications protocol.
The Fibre Channel (FC) standard provides a general transport vehicle for Upper Level Protocols such as Intelligent Peripheral Interface (IPI) and Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) command sets, the High-Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI) data framing, IP (Internet Protocol), IEEE 802.2, and others. Proprietary and other command sets may also use and share Fibre Channel, but such use is not defined as part of the Fibre Channel standard. Logically, the Fibre Channel is a bidirectional point-to-point serial data channel, structured for high-performance capability. Physically, the Fibre Channel can be an interconnection of multiple communication points, called N_Ports, interconnected by a switching network, called a fabric, an arbitrated loop, or a point-to-point link. The word fibre is a general term used to cover all physical media types supported by the Fibre Channel, such as optical fiber, twisted pair, and coaxial cable.
The Fibre Channel standard specifies only a serial bit stream for transmission. Transfers between nodes over Fibre Channel occur between buffers. Information stored in a buffer (generally constructed from RAM) at a first node is sent from a transmitting port associated with that node, across a physical medium (i.e., the Fibre Channel), to a receiving port at a second node, and stored in a buffer at the second node. The basic unit of transfer for the contents of a buffer between two ports is the frame. A frame consists of a start-of-frame (SOF) word, a multi-word header, multiple data words, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) word, and an end-of-frame (EOF) word.
Fibre Channel is structured as a set of hierarchical functions, each of which is described as a level. The lowest level, FC-0 (physical), has two components: interface and media. The media component defines the fibre, connectors and optical and electrical parameters for a variety of data rates. Coax and twisted pair versions are defined for limited distance applications. The interface component consists of transmitters, and receivers and their interfaces. The next level, FC-1 (transmission code and protocol), defines the transmission protocol which includes the serial encoding, decoding and error control. Level FC-2 (signaling protocol), which sits atop level FC-1, defines the signaling protocol which includes the frame structure and byte sequences. The next level, FC-3 (common services), defines a set of services which are common across multiple ports of a node. The highest level in the Fibre Channel standards set, FC-4 (mapping), defines the mapping between the lower levels of the Fibre Channel and the IPI and SCSI command sets, the HIPPI data framing, IP and other Upper Level Protocols (ULPs).
A buffer can be thought of as an ordered set of bytes numbered from 0 to n. Neither the actual length of a buffer nor the technology used to store the bytes are defined by the Fibre Channel standard. Stored bytes are transmitted in the order of increasing displacement (i.e., from low address to high address), starting with the first.
Fibre Channel does not provide for error correction of transmitted information. Instead, it relies solely on error detection and retransmission of inaccurately received information. Consequently, information stored in the buffer at the first node is not overwritten until it is determined that the information was accurately stored in the second node. The observed bit error rate (BER) over optical media seems to be about 1 error in 10E16 to 10E24 bits, which is well within the maximum 1E12 requirement of the Fibre Channel specification. With a BER of 1 error in 10E16 bits, and a Fibre Channel standard transmission rate of 1.0625 gigabaud/second, one error is expected on a single fibre of a link about once during each 1089 days. In order to provide for both the ordered sending of information bytes over the Fibre Channel and for the detection of errors, transmitted information bytes are encoded. Fibre Channel transmits information using an adaptive 8B/10B code. Code rules require that each 8-bit byte of data be transformed into a 10-bit Data Transmission Character. Two types of Transmission Characters are defined: Data and Special. The Special Transmission Characters are used to specify the maximum run length of a transmission and to provide word alignment.
The 8B/10B encoding scheme in Fibre Channel utilizes xe2x80x9crunning disparityxe2x80x9d to detect most errors in received transmission characters. Cyclic redundancy checks (CRC) are used to detect errors which are undetected by running disparity. Running disparity is a requirement that the transmission code have a balance of ones and zeros over short periods of time. This requirement of balance necessitates a special encoding and decoding procedure. Some data bytes encode to transmission characters that have more ones than zeros; others have more zeros than ones; and still others have an equal number of ones and zeros. If a string of bytes were to encode to transmission characters where each transmission character has more ones than zeros, the transmission stream would quickly become unbalanced, resulting in the detection of an error at the receiving node. The 8B/10B algorithm used by Fibre Channel solves this problem by providing two encodings for each character having an unbalanced number of ones and zeros. For example, if a byte encodes to 011011 0101b, the first 6 bits are unbalanced, having 4 ones and 2 zeros. The complement, or alternate, encoding for the same data byte is 100100 0101b, which has 2 ones and 4 zeros in the first six bits. In order to maintain balance during transmission, each off-balance transmission character is always immediately followed by a character of opposite disparity. At the receiving node, the same balanced code rules apply to the decoding of transmission characters. It is illegal to decode a pattern of transmission characters that is unbalanced. Sixty-two percent of transmitted errors can be detected using the running disparity encoding scheme. Fibre Channel relies on CRC to detect the remaining thirty-eight percent.
The 8B/10B encoding scheme, in addition to facilitating the implementation of running disparity error detection, has the added advantage of maintaining transmission balance, whether it be light on/off balance for the loading of optical fiber or DC balance for the loading of AC-coupled copper media. Evenly-balanced code transmission facilitates receiver design.
The 8B/10B encoding scheme has only 390 valid patterns for transmission characters out of a total of 1024 possible patterns (210). The number 390 is derived as follows: 256 byte patterns times two variations equals 512. However, 134 encoded patterns are fully balanced, so no alternate pattern is needed: 512xe2x88x92134=378. These 378 transmission characters are called data characters, or D-characters, for short. There are also twelve special characters, called K-characters, which are used for control functions, bringing the total to 390.
A unit consisting of four characters transmitted as a unit is called a transmission word, a total of 4xc3x9710, or 40, bits. A transmission word is the smallest complete transmission unit in Fibre Channel. The first of the four transmission characters can be either an encoded byte or a special character. The remaining three transmission characters are encoded bytes. Information transferred across Fibre Channel is not always an even multiple of four bytes. Consequently, the framing protocol has a provision to add pad, or filler, bytes to frames before transmission between nodes. The pad bytes are stripped as part of the framing protocol at the receiving node.
Special characters are used for signaling functions. The 8B/10B encoding algorithm guarantees that no data byte can be validly encoded into one of the 10-bit special characters. One special pattern of seven bits, easily recognizable by hardware, is called the comma pattern. This special bit pattern has two bits of the same value followed by five of the opposite value. Neither of these binary values (i.e., 1100000 or 0011111) is a full transmission character. The comma is found in the first seven bits of three special characters. These special characters containing the comma are used to achieve both transmission character alignment and transmission word alignment at the receiving N_Port, among other things.
During the encoding process, each 8-bit data byte is split into two fields-one of 3 bits and one of 5 bits. For example, the hexadecimal byte value B6, or 1011 0110b is divided as follows: 101 10110b. Each new field is converted to a decimal (base 10) value: 5 and 22. The descriptive format for a data byte is of the form Dxx.y, where y=5 and xx=22. The data byte B6h, is thus described in the D-character format as D22.5. A similar technique is used to describe the twelve K-characters.
Certain combinations of Transmission Characters, referred to as Ordered Sets, are given special meaning by the Fibre Channel standard. There are special names for each type or ordered set: primitive signals; primitive sequences; and frame delimiters. Ordered sets mark boundaries in the stream of bits flowing across a link. They also have special meanings that cannot be transmitted using encoded data bytes. For example, a destination N_Port must be able to detect the beginning and end of frames. The port must be able to locate the transmission words between frame delimiters. The primitive signal called Idle indicates that no useful information is being transmitted on a link. The signal merely indicates that the link is operational. The primitive signal called Receiver Ready, informs a sending node that buffer space has been freed up in the receiving node, and that another frame may be sent. Flow control makes extensive use of this signal. The Arbitrated Loop topology for Fibre Channel utilizes additional primitive signals and primitive sequences which are defined by Fibre Channel""s Arbitrated Loop topology standard.
A primitive sequence is a single transmission word sent repeatedly until a proper response is received. Primitive sequences are used to signal specific conditions (e.g., Online, Offline, Not_Operational, Link_Reset, and Link_Resent_Response)) associated with one port to another port. Because of the importance of primitive sequences, special rules have been formulated for sending and receiving them. For example, Fibre Channel requires that the receiving port validate the primitive sequence by detecting three identical transmission words in succession.
Frame delimiters, which are used to indicate the beginning and end of frames, are treated much like primitive signals even though they are not identified as such. However, only one transmission word is required to detect each frame delimiter.
Communication links always have a limited number of channels. Thus, information flow can be increased in only two ways: by increasing the flow rate of information, or by increasing the number of available channels. Generally speaking, it is more economical to increase the flow rate than it is to add channels. What is needed is a method for multiplexing multiple serial data streams so that both can be sent on a single Fibre Channel.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for multiplexing and demultiplexing multiple serial data streams so that both can be sent simultaneously on a single Fibre Channel. Fibre Channel (FC), as do most other data communications systems, relies on an embedded clock to synchronize transmitted serial data streams. As FC utilizes multiple transmission frequencies which are interrelated by a power of two (e.g., 531.25 megabaud; 1.0625 gigabaud; 2012.5 gigabaud; 4025 gigabaud; etc.), the invention makes use of this relationship in the multiplexing process by combining 2n (where n=1, 2, 3, . . . ) serial data streams into a single data stream of a higher related frequency. By multiplexing multiple data streams into one, the multiplexed data may be transmitted over a single medium. For long-distance applications, where the number of connections, or channels, is limited by cost factors, data transmission costs will be reduced by increasing data flow through the available channels.
The new multiplexing method will be described with respect to the multiplexing of first and second serial data streams. Though they are being received at one of the standard FC frequencies, they cannot be considered synchronous with respect to either a local clock signal or one another. Even slight asynchronousness, whether measured in the form of slight frequency differences or as phase change rate differences greatly increases the difficulty of multiplexing the two data streams. If the two data streams are not synchronous with respect to each other, data overruns and underruns may well result, thereby compromising data reliability.
The multiplexing process is implemented by having a local clock provide both 0-degree phase and 180-degree phase signals of a clock signal at the same basic frequency as that of the incoming data, as well as a double-frequency clock signal, which maintains phase with both the 0-degree phase and 180-degree phase signals. The first incoming data stream is routed to a first synchronizer unit, which receives the 0-degree phase signal of the local clock. The first synchronizer unit establishes and maintains synchronization of the first data stream with the 0-degree phase signal. The second incoming data stream, on the other hand, is routed to a second synchronizer unit, which receives the 180-degree phase signal of the local clock. The second synchronizer unit establishes and maintains synchronization of the second data stream with the 180-degree phase signal. The synchronizer units maintain synchronization of the respective data streams by applying an elasticity function to the data streams. After synchronization to the local clock, the two resultant data streams are multiplexed by an interleaver at double the baud rate. Bits are taken alternately from the two resultant data streams, resulting in an output data stream containing all of the bits from both resultant data streams and all of the data bits from both input data streams. Even numbered bits in the combined stream originate from one resultant data stream, while the odd numbered bits originate from the other.
Each synchronizer unit includes a receiver for receiving one of the data streams; a buffer for storing a portion of the received data stream; overfill/underfill detection logic for determining when the buffer is less than optimally filled and when it is more than optimally filled; format detection logic for detecting start-of-frame and end-of-frame transmission words and fill words between frames; a retimer for adding or deleting 40-bit fill words, as needed, between frames; a transmitter for synchronizing and transmitting the reformatted data stream to the interleaver; and a state machine for receiving either the 0xc2x0-phase signal or the 180xc2x0-phase signal from the local clock, signals from the overfill/underfill detection logic and the format detection logic, and controlling the reformatter and transmitter in response to the received signals. Before any data is sent to the retimer, the buffer is allowed to partially fill. However, it is never allowed to fill completely, thereby providing slack for data streams of slightly mismatched frequency on either the high side or low side of the local clock frequency. The re-timer maintains coarse synchronization by adding or deleting fill words from the data stream, while the transmitter is responsible for maintaining precise synchronization of the signal in response to control from the state machine and the local clock signal.
In order to tag one of two combined bit streams, an easily-identifiable, special fill word having a pattern which does not occur in normal Fibre Channel traffic is substituted for an unnecessary fill word at the beginning of the stream, as well as periodically thereafter. Such a fill word is a 40-bit alternating k28.5 pattern (0011111010110000010100111110101100000101). Substitution of the alternating k28.5 fill word for an unnecessary fill word may be effected only when the unnecessary fill word occurs at least twice in a row.
At the end of the link, it is necessary to separate the combined bit streams into separate bit streams. This is accomplished by applying a phase locked loop to the received data and generating two clock signals at one half of the incoming baud rate. Each of the generated clock signals is used to clock one of the separated bit streams. A pattern detector, which synchronizes to comma characters, scans the incoming multiplexed data for fill word pairs of which the second word is the k28.5 pattern. The detector maintains the last received fill word in memory. An output router is toggleable so that incoming bits may be routed to one of two outputs. When an alternating k28.5 pattern is recognized by the pattern detector, an output router is toggled so that the alternating bits belonging to that pattern, as well as all subsequent alternating bits of the bit stream so tagged, are routed to the appropriate output. The pattern detector replaces the alternating k28.5 word with a copy of the fill word that was received immediately prior to the reception of the alternating k28.5 pattern. The alternating bits of the untagged bit stream are routed the other output receiver. The bits fed to the two receivers constitute reconstructions of the original two data streams.